426: Red Island Cider: Crafting Stories in Every Bottle | PEI

Cider Chat

Discover Red Island Cider on Prince Edward Island

Guest podcaster Al Saxs interviews Red Island Cider owner and maker Robert van Waarden in this episode 426 of Cider Chat.

Red Island Cider is located on Canada’s reknown “Prince Edward Island” capital “Charlottetown” this cidery has helped revive the island’s apple heritage while creating unique, story-driven ciders that reflect the culture, history and spirit of the region. Whether you’re an orchardist, a cider maker, or simply a cider traveler, visiting Red Island Cider is an experience that goes beyond the glass.

The Art of Crafting Ciders with Local Stories

At Red Island Cider, every cider has a story. The flagship cider, Father Walker, is named after a local priest who inadvertently created a legendary batch of cider that fueled an unforgettable community gathering in at The Picnic at Groshaut 1897.

The story goes that between having the apples pressed for the Groshaut picnic and the actual picnic the cider had begun to ferment. The song details the events that day as the now fermented cider was being drunk.

To listen to the full song sung by Art Cahill, https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/songstorysamplercollection/19/

Father Walker’s is a dry cider, made with Northern Spy, McIntosh, and Cortland apples and recently won a gold medal at the Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP), cementing its place as a top-tier craft cider.

Another standout is Devonport, a hop cider named after a historic bar in Charlottetown known for growing its own hops in the 1830s. This cider offers a citrusy, grapefruit-forward profile that appeals to both beer drinkers and cider enthusiasts alike.

Red Island’s Ghost Series is a collection of limited-edition ciders, each named after historic shipwrecks off the coast of Prince Edward Island. These ciders, draw inspiration from the tales of ships like the Conqueror and Castalia, which met their fates in the island’s treacherous waters. The Rose made with locally sourced haskap berries has a vibrant rosé hue and notes of raspberry, blueberry, and cranberry notes, is a true taste of PEI’s agricultural bounty.

Loyalist Road Cider is a complex blend made from 27 different apple varieties sourced from a small orchard near Charlottetown.

Robert on the French Cider Tour next to one of the many massive barrels at Manoir de Montreuil Al Saxs steaming mussels with Red Island Cider Contact for Red Island Cider

• Website: https://redislandcider.com/

Mentions in this Cider Chat

• French Cider Tour
• #xpromotecider @spacetimemeads
• #xpromotecider @puntadefierro
• #xpromotecider @tomoliverscider
• #xpromotecider @woodyperennialguthrie

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